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UW Joins City in Laramie Community Service Day

September 16, 2013 — Helping hands are being sought for the annual
Laramie Community Service Day on Saturday, Sept. 28.

This annual day of service brings community members
together to help beautify and improve Laramie. The Laramie Beautification
Committee has partnered with the City of Laramie for 12 years of annual
Community Service Days, producing excellent enhancements to Laramie. Those
include gateway beautification projects, large-scale tree plantings along city
entryways, sports field improvements and landscaping of recreation areas.

This year the University of Wyoming is joining
forces with the Laramie Beautification Committee and the City of Laramie for Community
Service Day. UW President Bob Sternberg encourages students, faculty and staff
to participate in the morning of service.

“This is an opportunity for those of us at the university to show
our appreciation for the entire Laramie community and to help make this
wonderful city we all call home even more appealing,” Sternberg says. “We
appreciate the Laramie Beautification Committee allowing us to join in its
admirable efforts.”

Volunteers will beautify the East Grand Avenue
entrance into Laramie this year. Trees and shrubs will be planted on a parcel
of land generously donated to the city by Larry and Mary Foianini. A new
“Welcome to Laramie, Service Club” sign, donated by the Chamber of Commerce
2012 Leadership Laramie Committee, will also be installed, and a cleanup effort
along the length of the East Grand Avenue entryway will be undertaken.

“Community Service Day has become a tradition in our
town. It provides all Laramie residents with an opportunity to improve their
community and make a visible difference that will impact future generations,”
says Dan Furphy, co-chairman of the Laramie Beautification Committee. “We
welcome the University of Wyoming’s active participation in the event, and we
hope that even more students, faculty and staff will take part as a result.”

On behalf of the City of Laramie, Parks and
Recreation Director Paul Harrison says, “The participation and partnership with
the University of Wyoming is a great example of the continuing growth of
Community Service Day and the power of community volunteers.”

The Sept. 28 events will begin with a pancake
breakfast for all participants at 7:45 a.m. at the Laramie Recreation Center’s
outdoor pool area, located at 920 Boulder Drive. The volunteers are scheduled
to begin working at 8:30 a.m. on the projects along East Grand. Participants
are encouraged to bring gloves, work boots, shovels, garden rakes and sunscreen.

After the work ends at about 11:30 a.m., lunch will
be provided to participants and their families at the west end of UW’s Fraternity
Mall. Free parking will be available in the Wyoming Union lot on 15th Street,
across from the mall. For those who wish to stay, guided tours of the College
of Business, the new Energy Innovation Center, the refurbished Geological
Museum, the Visual Arts Building, Wildcatter Suites at War Memorial Stadium,
the planned renovation of the Arena-Auditorium and other buildings will follow
lunch.

“One of my goals as UW’s new president is to strengthen the bond
between the university and the Laramie community,” Sternberg says. “There are
plenty of UW employees and students who serve off campus, and lots of people
from off campus who contribute to the university, but I’m not sure if all the
people of Laramie really know how much the university appreciates them. This
Community Service Day is a great opportunity for us all to work together for
the common good.”